Description of a New Pored Leposternon (Squamata, Amphisbaenidae) from the Brazilian Cerrado

ABSTRACT. A new species of Leposternon is described from the Brazilian Cerrado, Goias and Minas Gerais states. The known range is restricted to the headwaters of the Parana and Sao Francisco drainage systems. The new species has the following diagnostic characters: frontal portion of head strongly depressed, pectoral shield modified, autotomic site absent, 404–448 dorsal and 408–448 ventral postpectoral half-annuli; 14–16 tail annuli; 24–33 and 23–33 dorsal and ventral segments per half-annulus of midbody respectively; 32–53 segments to the fifth tail annulus; two supralabials; three infralabials; two precloacal pores; major infralabials distinct from malar lateral; prefrontals, supraoculars, azygous, frontals and parietals shields distinct; azygous width 29.6–53.2% of posterior head width; frontal length 17.2–24.0% of head length; length of parietals comprising 14.8–25.6% of head length; and diamond-shaped pectoral scales.